Apple tree named ‘NY 109’

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a new and distinctive variety of a Malus x domestica apple tree named ‘NY109’, particularly characterized by its overall superior horticultural performance and consistency, including excellent fruit quality at harvest by having firm, juicy, high sugar and high acid and flavorful fruit with great potential for marketing as both a fresh apple and as value-added processed apple products, such as for hard and sweet cider and for baking, is disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of appletree designated as ‘NY 109’. The plant is botanically known as Malus xdomestica.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Apples are an economically important crop internationally. There is anongoing need to develop new varieties of apple trees with improvedcharacteristics to meet the changing needs of the producer, processor,and consumer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits define the new plant as a unique plant,distinguishing it from other commercial varieties in the region.

This invention is directed to an improved variety of apple tree. Inparticular, the invention relates to a new and distinct variety of appletree (Malus x domestica), which has been denominated as ‘NY 109’. Thenew variety ‘NY109’ has excellent flavor, with a good balance ofsweetness and acidity and good aromatics. The fruit are firm, mediumsize, and unique in appearance with a light red blush color, yellowbackground color, and fine russeting of the fruit finish giving ‘NY109’an antique or heirloom-like appearance. The fruit have multiple uses.The fruit can be used for fresh consumption, in processing, and in sweetand hard cider production.

‘NY109’ was selected for its high flavor, robust aromatics, and overallhorticultural performance and consistency, and good balance of highsugar and high acidity of the fruit.

Apple tree ‘NY109’ is a hybrid that originated from a planned controlledcross in 1997 in Geneva, N.Y. The seed parent (female parent) is Malus xdomestica Golden Glory™ apple tree ‘DS-165’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,851).Golden Glory is a semi-spur limb mutation of Smoothie® Golden Deliciousa limb mutation of the popular cultivar ‘Golden Delicious’. The pollenparent (male parent) is Malus x domestica ‘NY752’ apple tree(unpatented). This is a proprietary advanced breeding selection atCornell. ‘NY 752’ is a hybrid of ‘Starkspur Golden Delicious’ x NY88(‘Monroe’ x ‘Melrose’).

The original cross, designated ‘729’, was made by applying pollen from a‘NY752’ apple tree onto emasculated flowers of a Golden Glory™ appletree in Geneva, N.Y. in 1997. Seedlings were planted on their own rootsin an orchard in Geneva, N.Y. in 1999, after being stratified and grownin the greenhouse. One seedling, designated NY97729-109, was selectedfrom a field population of 485 seedlings on the basis of excellent fruitquality, firm flesh, and unique and attractive fruits. Additional treesof seedling NY97729-109 were produced by clonal propagation starting in2004 and in subsequent years in Geneva, N.Y. These additional trees wereevaluated for fruit and tree characteristics, pest resistance, andtrueness-to-type. NY97729-109 was later designated as ‘NY109’.

‘NY109’ was first asexually (clonally) propagated by chip budding ontoapple tree rootstock ‘M.9’ (unpatented) in 2004 in a research nursery inGeneva, N.Y. Subsequent asexual reproduction of ‘NY109’ has beensuccessful using traditional grafting and budding methods ofpropagation, demonstrating that the unique combination of traits of theasexually propagated trees is identical in all appearances to theoriginal tree. Asexual reproduction of this new variety by grafting andbudding onto rootstocks shows that the characteristics of asexuallypropagated trees are true-to-type and are established and transmittedthrough succeeding propagations.

Distinguishing Characteristics of ‘NY109’

Seed Parent: Golden Glory™. The seed parent Malus x domestica GoldenGlory™ is an apple variety known for its superior fruit quality,characterized by having fruit with solid yellow color, and a firm andjuicy fruit texture with smooth skin. When compared to Golden Glory™,‘NY109’ has similar scion vigor and tree characteristics. ‘NY109’ hassimilar fruit quality characteristics to Golden Glory™ in its firmtexture and medium fruit size, however ‘NY109’ produces fruit that havea red blush color compared to the solid yellow color of Golden Glory™.‘NY109’ is different from the commercial variety ‘New York 2’(RubyFrost®, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,207) in having conic fruit shapecompared to the globose fruit shape in ‘New York 2’. ‘NY109’ isdifferent in fruit appearance from ‘New York 2’ having more skin russetand a lighter fruit color compared to the mostly full darker red colorof ‘New York 2’. ‘NY109’ has more intense flavor compared to ‘New York2’, having higher brix and acidity levels.

Pollen Parent: NY 752. The pollen parent ‘NY 752’ is an advancedbreeding selection from the Cornell program. When compared to ‘NY109’,the pollen parent ‘NY 752’ produces fruit that are slightly larger andhave a broader shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying images illustrate characteristics of ‘NY109’. Thecolors shown are as true as can be obtained reasonably by conventionalphotographic procedures. However, the colors in the images may vary withlighting conditions and, therefore, color characteristics of this newvariety should be determined with reference to the observationsdescribed herein, rather than from the photographs alone. Thephotographs are from trees that are 5-years-old for FIG. 1, and fromtrees that are 10-years-old for FIG. 2 to FIG. 7.

FIG. 1 is a color photograph depicting a bushel of fruit of apple treevariety ‘NY109’, depicting the range in fruit coloring and the typicalfruit size and shape.

FIG. 2 is a color photograph depicting a close up of fruit of apple treevariety ‘NY109’ at harvest.

FIG. 3 is a color photograph depicting a row of trees of apple treevariety ‘NY109’ in orchard.

FIG. 4 is a color photograph depicting both an upper and lower surfaceof a mature leaf of apple tree variety ‘NY109’.

FIG. 5 is a color photograph depicting a flower cluster of apple treevariety ‘NY109’.

FIG. 6 is a color photograph depicting the original, dormant,free-standing seedling tree of apple tree variety ‘NY109’.

FIG. 7 is a color photograph depicting six views of a typical fruit ofapple tree variety ‘NY109’. The fruit at the top left depicts a crosssection of ‘NY109’ fruit cut longitudinally from top to bottom. Thefruit at the top middle depicts a side view of the sun-exposed side of‘NY109’ fruit. The fruit at the top right depicts a stem and stem cavityof ‘NY109’ fruit. The fruit at the bottom left depicts a cross sectionof ‘NY109’ fruit cut horizontally through the seed cavity. The fruit atthe bottom middle depicts a side view of the shaded side of ‘NY109’fruit. The fruit at the bottom right depicts a calyx and basin area of‘NY109’ fruit.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following description sets forth the distinctive characteristics ofapple tree ‘NY109’. The following description is based on the originallyidentified apple tree and asexually reproduced progeny grown in Geneva,N.Y., which is in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6A.

Referring more specifically to the details of the new and distinct appletree variety ‘NY109’, unless otherwise stated, the followingobservations and characteristics have been taken since 1999 from anumber of trees in different orchards to provide consistentdescriptions.

Certain characteristics of this variety may change with changingenvironmental conditions (e.g., light, temperature, moisture, etc.),nutrient availability, or other factors. Quantified measurements areexpressed as an average of measurements taken from a number ofindividual plants of the new variety. The measurements of any individualplant, or any group of plants, of the new variety may vary from thestated average. Color descriptions and other terminology are used inaccordance with their ordinary dictionary descriptions, unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise. Color designations are made withreference to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.C.C.),copyright 2001.

-   Tree: Medium in size; standard upright habit; medium vigor; early    bearing on spurs. Twelve-year-old managed trees have an average    height of 3.7 m, spread of 2.0 m, and average trunk diameter of 7.0    cm at 30 cm above soil line. Trees are conducive to both free    standing and trellis-supported production systems. Approximate bud    burst is around April 15 in Geneva, N.Y.-   Tree trunk: One-year-old dormant wood surface color is RHSCC Brown    group 200B. Four-year-old dormant wood surface color is Brown group    RHSCC N200B. Bark lenticels are medium, round to elongate in shape,    average 4 per square centimeter, and range from 0.5 mm to 6.8 mm in    length.-   Branch: Branch diameter of four-year-old wood is 21.7 mm. Branch    angle is flat, typically 10 degrees to 40 degrees above the    horizontal.-   Leaf: Leaves are medium in size. Alternate in arrangement. Average    leaf blade length is 103 mm and average blade width is 56 mm. Basal    shape is rounded, apex is convex. Upper surface is smooth, very fine    pubescence on lower surface. Concave-convex in cross section; upward    in pose; medium glossiness of upward (adaxial) side; serrate margin    indentation; average 2.2 serrations per centimeter. The color of the    upper leaf blade surface is most similar to RHSCC 139A (Green) and    the color of upper veins is RHSCC 191B (Greyed-green). The color of    lower leaf blade surface is RHS 138D (Green) and the color of lower    veins is RHSCC 191C (Greyed-green). Leaf petioles are medium in    length, with an average length of 29 mm and diameter of 2.6 mm. The    colors of petiole are RHSCC 191B (Greyed-green), 138B (Green), 195B    (Greyed-green) and the color of the tinged petiole base is RHSCC    182B (Greyed-red). Stipules average 10.6 mm in length and 2.3 mm in    width.-   Flower: Flower color at the “pink” phenology stage is RHSCC    Red-purple group 63C. Flower petals do not overlap in open flowers,    mostly meeting or have a slight space between them. Flower cluster    width averages 36 mm. There are five petals per flower and petals    are mostly flat and slightly cupped upward. Both upper and lower    surfaces are smooth. Average petal length is 17 mm, and average    petal width is 12 mm. Flower petal color when open is white (RHSCC    White group N155C), with some petal veins having a pink tinge of    RHSCC Red-purple group 63D. Flowers are self sterile and require    pollination by another diploid apple of the same bloom period.    Approximate bloom time May 7 and duration 6 days in Geneva, N.Y.-   Flower pedicel color: RHSCC Yellow-green 148B. Length 30 mm, width    1.2 mm.-   Stamens: 20 stamens per flower, average 8.7 mm long. Stamen color is    RHSCC White group 155C. Anther color RHSCC Greyed-yellow 162A.-   Style: Is 9 mm long. Style number is five per flower. Style color is    RHSCC Yellow-green group 148C.-   Sepals: Sepal color is RHSCC Yellow-green group 148D, tinged basally    RHSCC 187B (Greyed purple). Sepal length 8 mm, and sepal width 4 mm.-   Fruit: Fruit examined at harvest time:-   Soluble solids: Average 15.7° Brix, with a range of 13.1-17.4° Brix.-   Acidity: 0.82% malic acid as determined by titration.-   Juice pH: Average 3.5 (range 3.3-3.7).-   Firmness: Average 18.7 pounds pressure (range 15.7-21.8 pounds) as    measured with a penetrometer.-   Shape: Mostly conic.-   Starch-iodine index ratings near maturity: Average 5.1 (range    3.6-6.6).-   Weight: Average 161 grams (range 94-209 grams).-   Fruit diameter: Average 7.0 cm (range 5.5-7.7 cm).-   Height: Average 6.5 cm (range 6.0-6.8 cm).-   Color: Darkest fruit skin over-color is RHSCC 179A (Greyed-red);    lighter fruit skin color is RHSCC N34C (Orange-red). Fruit    background color is RHSCC Greyed yellow group 162B. Fruit lenticels    are mostly round, prominent, RHSCC (Greyed-yellow) group 161A in    color. There is an average of 4.8 fruit skin lenticels per square    centimeter.-   Stem cavity: Acute, with a depth of 20.3 mm and a width of 28.0 mm.    Stem cavity russet color is RHSCC 199C (Grey-brown). Fine smooth    russeting of stem cavity russet often extends to the shoulders.-   Stem: Very long (31.6 mm) and thin (1.9 mm). Fruit stem color RHSCC    152D (Yellow-green) and N199C (Grey-brown), tinged with 175B    (Greyed-orange).-   Basin: Abrupt, medium to deep, medium breadth, crowned. Average    basin depth 12.6 mm, average basin width 25.1 mm.-   Calyx: Persistent and closed, with slightly recurved lobes united at    base.-   Calyx tube: Urn-shaped.-   Stamen remnants: Basal.-   Carpels: Roundish, axile and mucronate.-   Core position: Median and closed.-   Core lines: Meeting, length 26 mm and width 31 mm.-   Seeds: Five locules per fruit. Average 8.6 seeds per fruit. Seed    length 7.6 mm; seed width 4.4 mm; seed depth 2.9 mm. Acute, pointed,    and slightly tufted. Fresh seed color RHSCC Brown group 200B. Dried    seed color RHSCC Grey-brown group N199B.-   Skin thickness: Medium thick, 0.28 mm.-   Flesh: Fruit flesh color is RHSCC White group 155B.-   Russet: Covering on average 15% of skin (range 0-30%), RHSCC    Grey-brown group 199C.-   Texture: Very firm.-   Flavor: High sugar and acidity, full flavor and aromatic.-   Harvest time: Maturity ranges between October 4 and October 15 in    Geneva, N.Y.-   Use: Fresh, baking, hard and sweet cider, multiple use.-   Keeping quality: Excellent keeping quality with minimal or no    disorders after 150 days.-   General culture: Apple tree variety ‘NY109’ is considered as    susceptible as other apple varieties to all insects, diseases, and    climate-related disorders found in apple production regions of New    York. ‘NY109’ fruit held in cold storage after harvest are    susceptible to certain storage disorders, but their occurrence is    low, variable, and influenced by the year. Keeping quality in    regular cold storage is up to 150 days.-   Production & management: ‘NY109’ can be grown on various rootstocks    in both free standing and trellised systems. ‘NY109’ can be pruned    and managed similar to other commercially available apple varieties.    Trees require standard management for optimum tree growth and fruit    quality. Trees require dormant pruning, fertilization, fruit    thinning, and pest control. Crop load management by thinning is    especially important.

What is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct variety of apple tree named‘NY109’ as herein described and illustrated.